1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in heat protective covers for hot water pipes, and more particularly to heat protective covers which are adapted for a relatively permanent securement about pipe and elbows and which eliminate conventional wrapping by use of tape and the like material.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In many cases, and particularly in public buildings, it is necessary to provide some mechanism to preclude people from inadvertently contacting hot water pipes. This is particularly true in the case of handicapped people who must use wheelchairs or who must lean against a sink or similar plumbing fixture for support when using the sink or like fixture. Hot water supply lines and drainage pipes which may carry the hot water from the sink are located in a position where they are particularly capable of being contacted by people in wheelchairs. These handicapped parties oftentimes will attempt to move a wheelchair under a portion of the sink and in so doing, bring their legs into contact with a hot water pipe. Inasmuch as the handicapped person in a wheelchair is not capable of extricating himself very quickly, serious burns can result.
Due to these problems, there have been various governmental code requirements in which public facilities are required to provide some type of insulation about the hot water pipe and the drainage pipe which may carry waste hot water. In order to comply with these requirements, there has been a resort to wrap the hot water lines with tape which purportedly has some heat insulating qualities. However, the tape usually turns out to be a very poor heat insulator and hence, does not provide an adequate amount of protection. Even moreso, after a short period of time, the tape deteriorates and unwinds from the pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,967 to Withem discloses a waterproof insulated valve cover which is adapted to extend around a portion of a valve. In like manner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,082 to Riley et al. discloses a cover which is adapted to extend about a valve or a similar fitting in a water pipe. A similar structure, except for use with a beverage container, is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,245 to Zills. U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,565 to Plunkett, Sr. disclosed any insulating device which extends around fluid conduit. U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,333 to Murphy discloses a similar pipe insulation product which is adapted to extend about a fluid transporting pipe.
A heat insulative and heat protective cover, somewhat similar to the claimed heat protective cover of the present invention has been used for more than one year prior to the filing of this application, as hereinafter described. However, that heat protective cover had several disadvantages which has been overcome by the present invention.